A Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) supporting patients across Thurrock, Basildon, Brentwood and surrounding areas will move from Orsett Hospital to Thurrock Community Hospital from Monday 2 November 2026.
The Minor Injuries Unit, run by North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT), will move to more modern facilities at Thurrock Community Hospital in Grays. The upgraded service will be located alongside the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC), helping more people access faster diagnosis and treatment.
NHS Essex has secured nearly £1 million of national funding to support the move and improvements to the John Tallack Centre, where the MIU will be based.
When it opens on Monday 2 November, the MIU will continue to provide the same seven-day walk-in service from 10am to 7.30pm for minor injuries such as wounds, bumps, sprains, broken bones, minor eye injuries and minor burns. The x-ray service, provided through the Community Diagnostic Centre, will be available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
“This is more than a change of location. It is part of an investment programme to improve and expand urgent care services for people across south west and mid Essex.
Samantha Goldberg, Executive Director of Commissioning Acute and Adult Mental Health Services
People across Essex have told us that faster diagnosis and treatment should be a top priority. Moving the MIU to Thurrock Community Hospital, alongside the Community Diagnostic Centre, will help bring more care, tests and treatment together in one place, providing a more efficient and convenient service for patients.
As part of our five-year plan for the NHS in Essex, we want to build on this by developing a future Urgent Treatment Centre that will be able to care for more people with a wider range of urgent injuries and illnesses, helping reduce avoidable pressure on local emergency departments.”
The relocated service will be provided by the same staff who currently provide the MIU at Orsett Hospital.
As well as providing more streamlined patient care, the upgraded MIU will offer a better environment for patients and staff. A larger waiting area will provide space for patients to sit indoors after booking in, improving the overall experience.
“We are pleased to be moving our Minor Injuries Unit to a modern, purpose-built environment at Thurrock Community Hospital. This investment will help us continue to provide high-quality care for local people, with improved facilities, better patient experience and closer access to diagnostic services. Importantly, patients will continue to be cared for by the same experienced NELFT team they know and trust.”
Gill Burns, Service Director at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)
NHS Essex is working with Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which operates the Thurrock Community Hospital site, to ensure adequate parking, access and signage for patients and staff.
Alongside this, the NHS is working closely with Healthwatch Thurrock and local communities to ensure patient experiences and needs help shape the upgraded service and the future development of urgent care services.
The planned development of the service into an Urgent Treatment Centre from April 2027 would expand the service to include minor illnesses as well as minor injuries, with longer opening hours. The new UTC is expected to see almost 54,000 patients a year, compared with around 29,000 patients currently using the MIU service.
Frequently asked questions about the move
We know patients and local people may have questions about the move from Orsett Hospital to Thurrock Community Hospital.
The information below explains why the service is moving, what this means for patients and how to access the new location.